Saturday 17 May 2008

Fresh Expressions of Gym

Saturday gym visit: Running - 20mins at 11kph and Rowing - 5k in 26mins.
This is my third Saturday morning gym session. 
At CRE this week Mike went to a Fresh Expressions talk where he was challenged to think about stepping into unfamiliar territory. The woman leading the session said she had asked a friend to church. The friend couldn't come, but invited her to Bingo. She went along and found it an alien experience; not knowing what to do and how to behave. She compared this to the experience of a visitor in church. Mike was quite taken with this image and wondered if it would be a good challenge for a congregation? - go to a place you wouldn't normally visit and see what it feels like.
Going to the gym has been this kind of experience for me. I was very uncertain when I went for the induction, feeling like a fish out of water. Everyone else seemed younger - or fitter - and obviously knew what they were doing... Even after three weeks I feel very self-conscious - am I too fat or too slow? Am I doing the exercises in the right order? Am I wearing the right thing?
As I track my weight, time and speed, I also ought to track my inculturation. Am I becoming part of this "community" of body-improvers? What sort of community is it? What does it teach me about church? Lots to ponder

1 comment:

Bishop Alan Wilson said...

+Dominic used to do things like sending his most pious clergy out to the betting shop to place an each way accumulator on the next 3.30 at Lingfield. This almost always helped sort out the boys from the men, and inducted them into just what it feels like to go to Church for, er, about the first ten years!